Beare, considered to be one of the world’s most respected violin experts, died on 26 April aged 87
Charles Beare, the director of Beare Violins Ltd and former director of J & A Beare, died on Saturday 26 April 2025 at the age of 87. Beare was a renowned expert on the work of the master violin makers, with his opinion sought on thousands of fine instruments.
Beare was born in 1937 and studied violin making in Mittenwald in 1958. His stepfather, William Beare, the director of J & A Beare at the time, sent him to New York in 1960 to work for Rembert Wurlitzer, where Beare familiarised himself with numerous Stradivari and Guarneri instruments, learning the philosophy of looking at fine instruments and how to behave in the world of violin dealing. He counted Wurlitzer and Simone Sacconi as influential in his career.
Beare’s leadership and expertise grew the family business into one of the world’s most respected dealerships. Many top musicians sought his advice on their instruments, including Jacqueline du Pré, Yehudi Menuhin, Isaac Stern, Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman, Mstislav Rostropovich and Yo-Yo Ma. It is estimated that Beare signed more than 5,000 certificates of authenticity throughout his career.
Beare left the family firm in 2012 to create Beare Violins Ltd with his two sons, Peter and Freddie.
In 1966, he took over research on the lives of Venetian makers, following the death of Paul Rosenbaum. The research continued throughout his career and remains unpublished.
Beare was the organiser of the 1987 exhibition of Stradivari’s work in Cremona and another Stradivari exhibition at Oxford’s Ashmolean museum in 2013. He was made an honorary citizen of Cremona and in 2004 he received an OBE for services to the music industry.
Beare was a former president of the Entente Internationale des Maîtres Luthiers et Archetiers d’Art, an honorary fellow of London’s Royal Academy of Music and a lecturer for the American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers and the Violin Society of America.
Tarisio’s Jason Price described Beare in a recent tribute: ’Charles was a careful expert, who balanced instinct with analysis and who welcomed new information and technology to support the evolution of expertise.
’Charles’s expertise moved the world a giant leap forward. His humanity and care for this business will be remembered forever.’
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